So lovely. Satisfying and spot on and often made me laugh. The description of a boyfriend falling in love with his girlfriend's dog was a hoot.
"The dogs danced at the ends of their leads, barking at potbellied squirrels who bustled off like prosperous burghers, opulent in fur."
"Mostly these days, he ordered Chinese food and ate in bed, something he had always disapproved of, watching Animal Planet.
Alison is getting married today, he thoughts, watching a llama give birth, as he ate fried rice with a spoon, and he felt even more like an ex-husband than usual." ( )

If you're not a dog person, this book probably won't hold much interest for you. (Also, what is wrong with you?) It follows about half a dozen residents of a nondescript block on the Upper West Side of Manhattan - human residents and canine ones. The dogs bring people together in unexpected ways and their interactions help forge a community of sorts. The dog characters are wonderful, especially Beatrice, a white pit bull with a big heart and a worrywart of an owner. The humans are wonderfully drawn, too. From the self-described spinster at 40 to the just-dumped 26 year old and her underachieving brother to the newly-divorced man trying to figure out how to be alone in his 50s, Schine treats each of her characters with affection and - often- bemusement. Doris, the "antagonist" of the story, is especially well-done in all her self-righteousness and hypocrisy.

The New Yorkers is a love letter to the city, as well as a paean to the special way dogs have of bringing us out of ourselves and to each other. ( )

Delcious read. I couldn't have scooped it up faster if it was covered with nuts and fudge sauce and sitting in a silver dish. ( )

Nice, easy, feel good read. This is the type of book to read if you live in NYC or would love to live in NYC (me). I needed a break from all the heavy duty, plot driven books, I had been reading and this hit the spot for me. ( )

Nice, easy, feel good read. This is the type of book to read if you live in NYC or would love to live in NYC (me). I needed a break from all the heavy duty, plot driven books, I had been reading and this hit the spot for me. ( )